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2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(No Model.)

' H. LOI-INERT. MAGHINE FORHULLING CLOVER.

No. 248,937. Patented Nov. 1,1881.

ATTQRNEY (No Model.) 2 Sheets$hee t '2.

I H. LOHNERT.

MACHINE FOR HULLING CLOVER.

No. 248,937. Patented Nov. 1,1881.

INVBNTOR MW Z ATTORNEY Ill gmpher. Washinglun, n. c

UNTTED STATES PATENT @FFICE.

HERMANN LOHNERT, OF BROMBERG, PRUSSIA, GERMANY.

MACHINE FOR HULLING CLOVER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 248,937, dated November 1, 1881.

Application filed June 22, 1881. (No model.) Patented in Belgium November 3, 18.9, in Germany March 20, 1880, and July 20, 1880, and in Austria April 19, 1880, and September 28, 1880.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, HERMANN LOHNERT, residing at the city of Bromberg, in the Kingdom of Prussia, German Empire, have invented Improvementsin Machines for Hulling Glover, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improt ements in clover-hullers of that class in which afixed horizontal, or nearly horizontal, hulling cylinder or drum is used in connection with a rotating agitator, by which the hulling of the cloverseed is obtained as a result of the friction of the heads along theinner roughened surface of thedrum. The hulling of the clover is to some extent dependent upon the degree of moisture of the clover-heads which contain the seed. The drier the heads the easier it is to remove the seed. Moist cloverheads have consequently to be exposed for a longer time to the action of the machine than dry ones. This necessitates for dry clover a less length of drum than for moist clover, as otherwise, with a uniform length of drum, in one case more than necessary work would be performed, while in the other case the seed would not be entirely extracted. As it would not be practicable to construct for each degree of moisture of the clover-heads a separate machine, it is more advantageous to constructthehulling-machine of a certain length and to surround the different sections of the hulling-drurn at the lower part with shell-sections which can be removed or applied as the case requires, so as to expose the clover-heads for a greater or less length of time to the action of the machine.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical transverse section of my improved clover-hulling machine; Fig. 2, avertical longitudinal section of the same on line as 00, Fig. 1; Fig. 3, a detail side view of the hulling-drum; Fig. 4, a detail vertical transverse section of the drum and heater; and Fig. 5 is an enlarged view of a part of the wire screen employed for the lower half of the hullingdrum.

The same letters of reference indicate the same or corresponding parts.

Referring to the drawings, A represents a fixed cylindrical hulling-drum, which is suprepeatedly thrown against the screen.

ported in a horizontal, or nearly horizontal, position at the inside of an inclosing wooden frame, B. The outer frame, B, is provided with hinged side doors for readily getting at the drum A and removing the hulled cloverseed. The frame 1) is closed at the top,sides, and ends by means of tightly-fitting boards, so as to prevent the escapeof dustfrom theframe. Upon transverse end pieces of theframe B are supported the journal-bearings for the shaitO of the beaterl), which shaft extends longitudinally through the entire frame and carries at one end a pulley, to which the transmittingbelt for operating the beater is applied. Upon the shaft 0 are keyed a number of spiderirames,D, the arms of which support at their outer ends the beater-strips D which take up and throw the clover-heads into contact with the hulling-frame. The arms of the spiderframes immediately back of the heaters are steadied by circular braces, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3.

The upper half of the hulling-drum A is made of sheet metal, while the lower half is formed of a wire screen. The drum A is stiffened by exterior rings, A, of T-shaped crosssections. The wire screen at the lower half of the drum is made ofrectangularly-intersecting wire rods of square cross-section, which exert a more favorable frictional influence upon the clover-heads than the common perforated or other screens heretofore in use, and which facilitatethedroppingof thehulled seedthrough the openings of the same. The quick outward passage of the seed from the drum has the advantage that the seed is not injured by being The drum accomplishes thereby the work of hull ing quicker than the perforated sheet-metal drums heretofore employed, and renders the workingot' the machine easier and less expensive.

The hulling-drum A is divided by means of the exterior stifl'ening-rings of T-shaped crosssection into three or more sections, the lower parts of whichcan be opened or closed bymeans of semicircular removable shell-sections O O 0 which are attached to the exterior rings by means of clamps, screws, or in anyother suitable manner. WVhen the clover-heads are quite dry only one outer shell, O, is attached below the first section of the drum, as shown in Fig. 2, while the shells O and O are leftofl'. Should the seed notbe entirely removed from the heads, the shell 0 has to be applied, while with moist heads also the shell (J has to be attached, as shown in Fig. 4. Should the clover be very dry, which, however, is but very rarely the case, even the first shell maybe removed,and thereby the seed be dropped directly from the first section of the drum.

The clover-heads are fed to thehulling-drum through a hopper, B, with inclined dischargechannels, which extend downwardly to a point near the shaft of the beater. Consequently the heads are fed in a nearly horizontal direction to the drum and instantly taken up by the revolving beater, so as to be thrown against the fixed wire screen forming the lower partof the drum. The clover-heads are continuously fed to the drum and worked up by the machine, which is a considerable advantage as com pared with the clovcr-hullers in which the feed-hopper has been arranged vertically at the top ot'the drum, which not only unnecessarily shortens the beater,but renders it less effective in hulling, as the clover heads have been partly thrown up again bytherevolvingbeater. The same construction or balling-drum with lower screened half and an interior rotating agita- 3o tor is also adapted for use in common thrashin g-machines, to which application special reference is made, as itis deemed to be fully within the scope of this invention.

Having thus described myinvenlion,Iclaim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- In a clover-hnlling machine,thecombination, with a fixed hnlling-drnm, the lower half of which is formed of wire screen, of an interior revolving heater and exterior sectional and removable shells, which are adapted to be attached to or removed from the screen portions, substantially as set forth.

2. In a clover-hulling machine, thecombination ot'a fixed hnlling cylinder ordrum, having an upper imperforate and a lower wire screen half, and exterior stiffening-rings, with an in- I terior revolving beater and with exterior sheetmetal shell-sections, which are attached to or removed from the stitfening-rings of the drum, for the purpose specified.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HERMANN LOHNERT. Witnesses:

CARL FEIILERT, BERTHOLD B01. 

